Beauty Cues: Kate Upton’s Soft Grey Shadow And Mauve Lips

The verdict is still out on whether Kate Upton will be able to transition smoothly from lad mag favorite to glossy cover star, but I think it’s safe to say that the odds are in her favor: she had a small (fully clothed!) feature in Vogueback in June, and Olivier Zahm (though not exactly the arbiter of good taste) tapped her for this month’s Jalouse. Most promising of all, Carine Roitfeld has so much faith in the sexy Sports Illustrated girl that she even placed her front and center on the first issue of her new magazine.

But you know what I think is the most telling sign that Kate’s higher-fashion game is headed in the right direction? Oh, just hanging out with one Solange Knowles, which she did earlier in the week at a Vanity Fair movie premiere. If that doesn’t mean a girl’s career is on the up and up, I don’t know what else does. Kate wore her New York City best to the screening (leather! Draping! Monochrome!) but it was her interesting makeup that really caught my attention. It’s so easy to fall into the trappings of dark eye/nude lip or nude eye/bold lip, but this pretty look is totally balanced, and the lip color is the perfect way to work in this season’s purple trend without the heaviness of a darker shade (or worse, that dreaded “frostbite” effect).

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain in 4 Mauve Pigmente: You can’t go wrong with this incredible formula and its precise applicator; swipe it on, wait a few seconds, add another layer, and let dry for the glossiest, longest-lasting lip color of your life. Of all time! This shade looks scary dark in the tube, but it goes on sheer and can be built upon for opacity. One coat gets you a translucent wash of plum color, three coats gets you a reflective vamp-worthy stain that lasts for days.

Make Up For Ever Eyeshadow in Anthracite 40: Don’t tell anyone, but being the makeup renegade that I am, I would totally just apply this with a (probably my own) fingertip (lightly!) for Kate’s look. Use your pinky to bring it up and out into that cat-eye shape, then clean it up with a Q-tip around the edges to make it more defined and blend some more for softness.

Leolah Brown, sister to Bobby Brown and aunt to Bobbi Kristina was kicked out of her niece’s funeral yesterday after verbally lashing at Pat Houston Bobbi Kristina’s former manager as well as sister-in-law to Bobbi Kristina’s mother Whitney Houston. Phew. That was a mouthful.